By Edward William Lane

Vividly provides the social background to the Arabian Nights--the most famous literary product of classical Islamic civilization

After visiting Egypt in the mid-nineteenth century, British scholar of Arabic Edward William Lane translated the Arabian Nights, appending at the end of each chapter elaborate, explanatory notes that made the book a virtual encyclopedia of Middle Eastern life and manners. The present volume, containing only Lane's notes as they appeared in the original 1859 edition, provides an intriguing picture of Islamic society as it existed during the Middle Ages, when Tales of the Arabian Nights was first written. Individual chapters consider the importance of religion, literature, festivals, and education, as well as the role of women in society, slavery, and rituals observed for the dead. Unabridged republication of Arabian Society in the Middle Ages: Studies from the Thousand and One Nights, originally published by Chatto and Windus, London, 1883.

304 pages, 5 3/8 x 8 1/2 inches.

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